Well, the bluebirds have been busy here the last few days. And they’ve been doing some surprising things after the raccoons trashed their first nest. Just two days later, they started building a nest in the PVC nest box situated under the big mulberry tree.
nest box under mulberry tree (click on any image to enlarge)
That nest was made mostly of dry grasses with some pine needles worked in around the top. The nest was completed in slightly less than two days. I figured the female would start laying eggs in a few days.
finished nest with grass and pine needles
But the very next day, I saw the pair going in the other PVC nest box, situated about ten feet from the first one, and more in the open. That had me going “Whoa! Is that the same pair?”. Once I was able to sneak a peek in the box, I saw they were building another nest, again of fine grasses.
male on top of second PVC box, female exiting
The second nest was completed in less than two days also. And yesterday afternoon when I checked inside, I found one egg.
second bluebird nest finished, with one egg
So, to summarize, since the first nest was destroyed on May 5th, this pair of bluebirds has built two nests in two different boxes AND the female has laid the first egg. That’s a LOT of work in just seven days!
second nest box is more in the open
I’m wondering if they didn’t decide the first PVC box was less desirable because it was more shaded. Who knows? I’m just happy because in a short period of time this year we’ve gone from having no bluebirds, to having a regularly scheduled bluebird soap opera just a few feet from the house.
Once again, stay tuned for more updates as they develop. Who knows what will happen next to our fine feathered pair!